Content Area Web Sites #2

Web site #1:

American Memory Page from the Library of Congress
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html

How I would use this web site for instruction:

The above web site has a huge number of items which are usable in a classroom setting.  My plan for this web site is to find photographs from the Library of Congress collection which match my current lesson plan (i.e.: Civil War, World War II, Depression, Presidents, etc.).  These images can then be used to help students practice making an inference.  Students are shown the images, asked to think about the images, asked to write down two or three questions about the images, try their best to answer the questions from the information contained in the photograph, and then given known information about the images to see who well they did.  I have used this inference approach in a sample lesson plan about the United States Civil War and found that it engaged many students.

National Women's Party images taken from the American Memory Page of the Library of Congress.

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Web site #2

Historical Document: Sullivan Ballou Letter
http://www.pbs.org/civilwar/war/ballou_letter.html

How I would use this web site for instruction:

The above web site contains the transcription of a letter written by Sullivan Ballou on 14 July 1861.  The letter was written to his wife and gives a final goodbye as Sullivan prepares to move out with the Union army.  This very emotional letter would be used by the students to create a "Found Poem."  This idea was borrowed from Reading Reminders: Tools, Tips, and Techniques by Jim Burke.  This exercise encourages students to create poetry from sources one may not think use.  It also encourages students to analyze a document to find its main points or purpose.